Let There Be Light

Micah:  Do you think Jan is going to make it through the summer?

Rusty:  I hope so.  Why do you ask?

Micah:  Well, if she is supposed to be ancient, why is she working so hard in this weather?  Heat and humidity mean it's time for extra naps but she's been doing extra work.  Is she backwards or what? 

Rusty:  Definitely backwards!  But we've had so much rain everything is growing like weeds and she can't keep up.  Remember this tree limb? (Sawing Branch as Percy Turns 14) She sawed it off on Sunday and fortunately, got some help cutting it up or she wouldn't have been able to open our canned food this week.

Micah:  It did help to let some sunshine in the side yard so the grass won't die. But it wasn't enough.  So Tuesday, she looked and found the limb on the neighbor's tree she cut over our property last year had branched out and grown over our yard again.

Rusty:  So Jan cut it?

Micah:  Um, not exactly.  She couldn't reach it with the saw on a pole, so she used a "grabber" for disabled people to pick up things, grabbed and pulled the end of the branch, leaned her weight on it until it started to crack, twisted it round and round, back and forth, leaned on it a few more times and finally it broke off!

Rusty:  That's what it gets for growing over our yard and blocking sunlight, but that sure is a strange way to take down a branch.

Micah:  Yes, but you know Jan often has a strange way of accomplishing things.  This was a smaller-sized branch and Jan was able to cut this one up by herself.

Rusty:  And then Wednesday morning she got a shock!  Our neighbor has refused to cut his bushes.  Our phone and power lines run through them.  They also block sunlight from our pen.

Micah:  I remember this is what it looked like over there last year.  With all the rain we've had, those bushes grew higher than the pole where the lines are attached.  Between our tree, their tree and their jungle, it's been a bit dark and claustrophobic over here.

Rusty:  Jan practically did a dance when those two guys showed up to trim the bushes next door. When they left, our power and phone lines had been liberated and there is now a small path for sunlight to the dog pen.

Micah:  Do you think Jan was serious when she said she could kiss the neighbor's landlord for sending those guys over to do the trimming on their property?

Rusty:  No, you know how humans are always saying things they don't mean.

Micah:  Unlike us.  We always mean what we say.

Rusty:  By the way, you promised to repay the two dollars you borrowed last week.

Micah:  And I will.  Just as soon as my ship comes in. 

Cyndi:  It's been a few months since we Funny Farmer Felines last posted a Mousebreath interview.  Today we feature the Hipster Kitties from Dennis the Vizsla's blog.  Many of you know them.  The little black and white cats and the big red one with the white face.  What do you mean the big one is an imposter?  Are you sure?

Percy:  Stop by Mousebreath to read their interview, Hipster Kitties Charlee and Chaplin  … and Dennis.

Sawing Branch As Percy Turns 14

Happy 14th Birthday, Percy!  You have come a long way since Merci rescued you as a tiny kitten.  You grew into a handsome, cuddly guy.  We all love you!   Well, perhaps not Micah, but in general, you are loved. 

Thank you, Pipo, Dalton & Petcretary for the birthday graphic! 


Marcus:  Since today is a special day, even though it's not Tuesday or Friday, we thought we would share some of why we haven't been around very much.  Jan is swamped with both indoor and outdoor work, and our computer has been spending a lot of time with a blank screen.  A really nice friend has been helping us get the grass cut, but there is so much more that has to be done.  And with all the rain we've been having, everything is growing faster than usual.

Rusty: Two years ago Jan, with a little help from Mr. Doug, sawed some branches on the tree outside the pen.  The branches were so long and the leaves so dense, no sun could reach the dog pen and all the grass died.  Now the branches have grown so much the side yard is in danger of dying too.  

Marcus:  So Sunday Jan decided to cut down one of two huge limbs reaching almost to the sidewalk.  She tackled the larger one.  She sawed and sawed and finally the limb came down.  But just before it did, a man who turned out to be a new neighbor was passing and asked if she needed any help.  When the branch falls, the saw on the pole causes Jan to lose balance and she has a hard time holding onto the pole, so she took him up on that last little bit.  The long branch crashed, taking out half a bush. 

Rusty:  Then came the really fun part!  The branch was waaaaaay too long to put out for pickup.  It had to be sawed into smaller parts.  Evidently it's actually harder to saw a branch on the ground than on a tree.  It was interesting to watch Jan sweat as she sawed away without getting anywhere. 

Marcus:  And then this nice man named Willie appeared  around the tall, leafy end of the tree asking if she needed help.  She started to say no, but the past couple of years have taught her she can't do what she used to force herself to do, so she accepted. (Willie said it is okay to post this picture of him working.)

Rusty:  Marcus and I laid on the steps and snoopervised.  That's hard work too.  As you can see, all they had to work with with a small saw and a saw on a pole. 

Marcus:  Then Willie piled the pieces by the curb while Jan raked up the loose leftovers.  Willie said, "The Lord must have led me this way today."  Jan is so thankful for that!  She could not have lifted or dragged those last two pieces of the branch. 

Rusty:  As much as she claims to hurt, it's good she was rescued and didn't have to saw that branch for pickup.

Marcus:  Speaking of pain, what's with Jan limping and moaning about the pain in her ankle being worse than the pain in her neck and shoulders.  I didn't see her standing on her head sawing with her feet, did you?

Rusty:  No, but I sure would have liked to.  There's another big branch she'd like to cut down. When she finds someone with an electric saw, we can snoopervise again.  But this time we won't blink!  

Afraid of a Tree Joke

Marcus:  Well, I guess it's just you and me today, Merci.  The rest of the crew are sacked out in this heat and humidity.

Merci:  I'm just waking from a nap and can't think of a thing to post.  What about you?

Marcus:  No, I can't think of a thing either. 

Merci:  I know!  We can post a joke.  Do you know a joke?

Marcus:  No.  Wait, I do know one.  Why was the cat afraid of the tree?

Merci:  I don't know.  Perhaps it got stuck in a tree once and had to be rescued by the fire department.  That would make me afraid of a tree.

Marcus:  Let me know when you start climbing a tree.  I want a video!

Merci:  So why was the cat afraid of the tree?

Marcus:  Because of the bark.

Merci: Because of the bark?  Were you hiding behind the tree?  You bark like a crazy dog and I'd sure be scared of a tree if I thought it barked like you.


Marcus:   I'm insulted.  I am the quietest, best-behaved pup you've ever met. 

Merci:  In your dreams!  And speaking of dreams, it's time for me to finish the one I was having before you woke me for this post. 

Marcus:  A good dream?

Merci:  The best! The cats and I had peace and quiet for two whole days.  It was wonderful.

Marcus:  Two days of quiet.  How did that happen?

Merci:  You had laryngitis.

My New White Ball

Taylor: Let's see. You had a new blue ball. A new new blue ball. (Inside Outside Talk) A new new new blue ball (not blogged). A new red ball. (Red Rubber Ball)  All within six months. Where did you get this white one?

Marcus:  I found it.

Taylor:  Outside in the dog pen?

Marcus:  No.  It was in a box, and then it was on the desk, and then, like magic, it was in my crate. 

Taylor:  I think you mean, then, by theft, it was in your mouth.

Marcus:  Exactly!  Wait!  How did you know?

Taylor:  I heard Jan yell, "You little thief!" 

Marcus:  Well, she shouldn't have turned her back for an hour.

Taylor:  Ten seconds.

Marcus:  Okay, for ten seconds. 

Taylor:  You didn't even wait for Jan to remove the tag. 

Marcus:  It was sent to me.  I saw my name on the box.

Taylor:  Your name is Jan?

Marcus:  No, but I know when Canidae sent the dog biscuits and the new white ball for Christmas, they were intended for me.  They just had one of those Jan moments and forgot my name.

Taylor:  So what are you going to do with your new white ball, hide in your crate with it?

Marcus:  Just until we bond.

Taylor:  You're going to bond with a ball?

Marcus:  Yes, bonding is very important to the mental health of a ball. 

Taylor:   Who told you that?

Marcus:  My new white ball.

Taylor:  And you believe it? 

Marcus:  Of course, I do.  It's never lied to me yet!

Taylor:  Today is Thankful Thursday and we're sure thankful the electric company came out Wednesday and cut down that "spider web" of branches twined around our power pole and power line. 


We're joining the Thankful Thursday blog hop at Brian's Home.

On The Bright Side

Taylor:  Are you okay, Merci?

Merci:  Yes.  This is Thankful Thursday and we haven't posted much these last few weeks, so I'm thinking about something I'm particularly thankful for from last week.

Taylor:  And what would that be?

Merci:  That Jan is still in one piece and can still fix our meals and take us for walks and -

Taylor:  Of course she's in one piece and she always does those things. 

Merci:  But what if she got bashed in the head by a falling tree limb and her brains were scrambled?

Taylor:  I don't think we need to worry about that.  I haven't left the house since I arrived over a year ago and I haven't seen a single falling tree limb in here yet.

Merci:  Not in the house, silly!  In the yard,  Don't you remember last week when Jan was working on some of the bushes in the yard and she came inside to get a drink of water ...

... and returned to find this.  See how long that branch is!  And it came from up high in the tree.  Way high.

Taylor:  Oh, yeah, I remember.  Jan went to the neighbor for help moving their tree branch off our lawn.

Merci:  What if Jan had been standing there when it came down?

Taylor:  She would be shorter?

Merci:  Well, that too, but I was thinking about how forgetful she is already.  What if she couldn't remember to feed us?

Taylor:  On the bright side, what if she forgets she has already fed us and feeds us again?

Merci:  I'm glad we had this little talk, Taylor.  I feel so much better now!


We're joining the Thankful Thursday blog hop at Brian's Home.